Grilled Mahi Mahi

I have two different friends that just returned from fishing trips and have freezers packed full of fresh mahi-mahi. I would love to have that problem! I love any kind of sea food, and when its fresh, not much can top it.

This recipe is my go to recipe when I am making fish.

2 mahi-mahi steaks

2Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1/4 C. olive oil

Lemon zest from one lemon

a hand full of fresh basil or parsley chopped

1 clove garlic minced

salt and pepper

fresh lemon juice

2-3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Wash fish well, and pat dry with paper towel, season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together oil and vinegar, add garlic, lemon zest and herbs. Place fish and marinade in air tight container or plastic bag. Marinate in fridge for 20 Min's.

Place on hot grill 5-6 Min's on each side.

When fish is done, remove from heat and squeeze lemon juice over fish, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese all over fish. Tent with foil for a few minutes to allow cheese to melt.

Fish is such a good summer dish, so light and always great on the grill. I also love to serve this dish with a fresh salsa. For those of you who do not love fish, I have used this recipe several times on chicken, and it is wonderful.

Curtains into a Tote

Not only is sewing a very useful thing to know how to do, it also gives you the chance to use your imagination and created something exactly how you want it. Unfortunately, it is not something I have much experience in but I love to do it. My mother-in-law is an excellent seamstress and gave me her mother-in-law's old sewing machine for Christmas a few years ago. Before we took it home she showed me the basics on how to use it, and gave me several helpful hints. I don't know what I would have done without the manual, the sewing machine is a complicated piece of equipment!

I made my sister a tote bag a few months ago. I thought it would be a simple and fun project and it was so fun picking out the fabric. However, when the bag was completed I realized the fabric I choose, however adorable it may have been was extremely flimsy and not meant for a tote bag. I needed much heavier fabric.

On my last trip to see my parents my mom offered me some old curtains that she was going to get rid of, she thought it might be the kind of fabric I would need. When I picked it up I knew right away she was right, it would be perfect for a tote bag.

I did not use a pattern because it wasn't a normal piece of fabric it was curtains, but I should have followed some kind of directions. I used my favorite grocery tote as a model but I messed up several times. I even put the handles on the wrong side at first. As you can see in the picture there were perfectly cut and sewn handles already, but I wanted the contrasting fabric for the handles, so I cut some from this piece, and sewed it on the existing.

I am not the one to give any kind of sewing advice. One thing I will say is you have to take your time, no short cuts. You will end up making more work for yourself!

Here is the finished product.

Baked Chicken

For so many years I have been only buying boneless skinless chicken breasts. We have been brought up believing how much healthier it was for us. Nina writes in the first chapter of her book, Real Food, that just as you would eat the whole apple, we should eat the whole meat. When we eat only the chicken breast we are getting the muscle, which is good, but we are missing out on the nutrients in the skin, bone, and fat.

I have also found that whole chicken is usually on sale because everyone is buying the skinless breasts. I don't know if I love Nina's ideas on food because it allows me to not feel guilt when eating full fat foods or because it really makes sense in my mind. Why wouldn't we eat the whole apple?

I love Martha Stewart's magazine Everyday Food. All her recipes call for real food, and they are always simple and delicious! This baked chicken is from the October 2009 issue, however I modified it a little.

1 whole chicken cut up into 8 pieces

(Breasts halved crosswise)

1 large red onion

1 head garlic

(cloves separated and left unpeeled)

6 sprigs thyme

1 lemon quartered

1 lime quartered

1/4 cup olive oil

2tbsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

Arrange chicken, onions, garlic, thyme and citrus in roasting pan. whisk together oil and vinegar in a bowl. Toss, combine, and season. Make sure skin side is up. Roast at 450 degrees until browned and cooked through, about 50 minutes.

Because there are only two eating at my home and I don't have a roasting pan big enough for all that, I halved this recipe. Martha also put a pound of potatoes quartered in the pan. I made my separate. I have made this recipe several different ways and its always delicious. I've made it with parsley and basil, I have minced the garlic and mixed it in with the oil and vinegar, and I've added carrots. You can't go wrong with this recipe.

Baked Spaghetti

I love to take an old favorite and add a little flair to it. Good old Spaghetti and meat balls, bubbling to perfection topped with whole milk mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.

I have managed to stop buying pre-made spaghetti sauce. It seems like a great invention, but when I realized how simple it was and how much better it tasted to make my own, I vowed never to go back. I had watched Rachel Ray make it over and over again, and then I finally tried it. I guess it always seemed too simple to be any good, boy was I wrong!

I start off with olive oil in a medium hot pan, add fresh garlic and onions. A couple minutes later add a big can of crushed tomatoes, you can also use diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. (can't wait to use the garden tomatoes!)Then let simmer together for about 10 minutes. Then add some fresh basil, or parsley. Finish with salt and peeper.

Sometimes I like to add chopped carrots and celery in with the garlic and onions for a different flavor and texture. You can either puree it at the end or just leave it chunky. Both are great!

When pasta is al dente, and meat balls are done(I will save that for another day), mix all three in the pasta pot along with some mozzarella cheese. Pour mixture in a baking dish, and top with loads of mozzarella and some Parmesan. Bake at 425 degrees for about 25-30 Min's or until cheese is brown and bubbling. Spaghetti and meatballs never tasted so good!

Jack-in-the-box

Our new neighbors (who just so happen to be our great friends) had some big boxes left from their move. They graciously offered them to my four year old nephew Jackson one day when he was over to my house. Jackson loved it! Our friends even cut out a door for him. We decorated that box inside and out, even putting in carpet and a lamp. We worked on this box several different days that had changed from a fort, to a boat, into a cozy little cottage.

I had been storing this box in our guestroom until I realized our good friend Tanya and her friend were coming to visit overnight. I couldn't stand to tell this sweet little face I was going to throw his house away.

So I got out an old tablecloth, grabbed the vase from the bathroom and got inspired. Took a trip to Home Goods and found a few goodies, each for 6$. I needed a vase to replace the one I took from the bathroom, and found this adorable milk container, I wish milk still came in these bottles.

I added some fresh wild flowers for the new bathroom vase. Then, on to the bedroom...

I filled an old wooded bowl my grandma had given me with vanilla scented coffee beans and candles. The fragrance was amazing.

Then I set my other new purchase on the table

Here is the finished product when guest stay. As soon as Jackson comes to play, off comes the tablecloth.